The stones: Amber

The stones: Amber

Amber is a fossil resin mainly produced by the release of liquid substances from plants and trees, spontaneously or following cuts or pathogens. These liquid substances in practice have the function of helping the plant to treat its wounds or protect it from insects that are attacking it. During the fossilization it is also possible that some insects or small parts of plants remain trapped in the Amber.

The process of fossilization that takes place in Amber, also known as "Amberization", is used by archaeologists to study the characteristics of the microorganisms that have been found trapped in Amber.

The main countries of extraction are: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Russia, Denmark, Germany, Sweden or mainly on the Baltic Sea area. This is because millions of years makes the coniferous trees that grew in these regions due to a climate change, they released a lot of resin all at the same time. Subsequently, the glacier which is formed in the area scalded and moved the rocks.

Mainly the Amber is found inside sedimentary rocks that is formed by the erosion of water or ice on rocks existing in the marine environment.

Amber has a partially transparent appearance, is it allows us to see through it. Its colour is due to the amount of air contained within it, it can go from yellow to red, including all the intermediate shades, and it is also possible to meet green amber even if it is much rarer.

Jewels were found in Amber in the tombs of Ancient Egypt. There are also references to Amber also in Greek mythology when it is narrated the killing of the son of Apollo (god of the Sun) after which his sisters became poplars who cried tears that turned into Amber.

In the Nordic traditions, however, Amber is derived from the sea.

Amber is well known for its electrostatic properties, if rubbed with a cloth it is electrified. It is thought to help drive away headaches and nightmares.

It is also used for the manufacture of some medicines.

It is attributed a calming effect, it is in fact used a lot on children during teething. To achieve the effect, the Amber must simply be in contact with the skin.

The Turks use it in the manufacture of "narghile", their traditional pipe, when they claim that the mouthpiece of Ambar prevents the spread of infections as sterile.

A little trick to be able to know if what you have before you is natural Amber is the particular aromatic smell that Ambar emanates from being burned, hardly reproducible in its imitations. Unfortunately, this evidence irreparably damages the object in question.

Another advice that we would like to give you is to consider that Amber with animal or vegetable encrustations is extremely rare and furthermore the ordered placement of the insect inside the Amber tends to be artificial. Be wary of such objects too perfect.

We hope once again that you have been useful and we invite you to follow us on all our social networks Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest e Twitter. where you can ask questions or propose topics to be developed.

Of course, do not forget to take a look at all our El Coral products.

Red Coral and the myth of Medusa in Sardinia

Red Coral and the myth of Medusa in Sardinia

Today we want to tell you a legend that is told in our land, Sardinia, about the Red Coral. According to this legend the precious Red Coral present in our seas owes its existence to the blood gushed from the head of Medusa.

 

But let's start from the beginning for here did not already know the legend of Medusa.

Medusa is one of the three Gorgons, or rather the daughters of Forcis and Ceto, two marine deities of Greek mythology. Medusa, even though she was the only mortal among the three sisters, lived with them in a cave called Esperidi, located near the kingdom of the dead.

Medusa is said to be the most beautiful of the three sisters and who even managed to fall in love with the god of the sea Poseidon, meeting with him in a small temple dedicated to the goddess Athena.

The goddess Athena took this as a very serious personal offense, becoming so enraged that she transformed the beautiful Medusa into a monstrous creature and bearer of death. The beautiful smile of Medusa was replaced by horrible fangs, the hair became a tangle of poisonous snakes and hands and feet ended with very sharp claws. His gaze is now able to transform everything he meets into stone. Medusa has become a monster feared by mortals and immortals.

Athena, however, is not satisfied with the transformation of Medusa from a beautiful woman to a scary and lethal creature. He wants his death. He then asked Perseus for help, who, after meeting Medusa, kills her and gives her head as a tribute to Athena.

Athena uses the head of Medusa by inserting it into her shield, as Medusa's gaze continued to hold her powers even after being separated from her body.

During the separation of the head of Medusa from her body came the children conceived by her relationship with Poseidon: Crisone and the winged horse Pegasus.

The drops of blood that came out of the gash in the throat to fall to the ground gave birth to a myriad of poisonous snakes while those that fell into the sea gave life to the beautiful red corals of the seas of Sardinia.

We hope you enjoyed this little diversion on the legend of Medusa. We like to think it could be the original version, but of course in legends this is absolutely impossible to establish.

However born or not from the blood gushed from the severed head of Medusa to us the Red Coral like very much and we like to use it to create beautiful jewels that can show off in every occasion from the most important to everyday life.

Do not forget to take a look at our collections on our website El Coral and follow us on all our channels: Facebook , Instagram , Pinterest e Twitter..

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The stones: Amazonite

The stones: Amazonite

Amazonite is a mineral. It is also called Amazonia stone because the first stones of this particular green were found in the riverbed of the Amazon River. At these first findings, Amazonian deposits in the area were not discovered. Most likely they had simply been transported by the river from the mountains of origin.

It is a mineral that can be considered quite rare. It has always been mined inside granite rocks, mostly in Russia. Recently a new variety has been discovered in Colorado. There are also small deposits in Brazil and Madagascar.

What is Zamak?

What is Zamak?

Many people ask us what Zamak is exactly. Today we thought about explaining what Zamak is.

Zamak is a metal alloy composed of zinc, aluminum, magnesium and copper. Aluminum serves above all as a hardening agent, while copper increases the colabilit '. These two characteristics, hardness and colabilit ', make this alloy is particularly suitable for creating castings, healthy and complex.

The name Zamak is an acronym of the elements that compose it in German: Z stands for Zinc, A for Aluminum, MA for Magnesium and K for Kupfer (copper).

It is also known as Zama or Zamac

This metal, unlike silver, does not tend to "get dirty", which is why it is used above all in fashion and accessories, in bags and clothes and has only been used in jewelry for a few years. This is one of the main reasons that drives us to use it in some of our articles.

Another of the main reasons is the low cost of silver. Low cost is not associated with low quality at all, because it is not about this. In the quality / price ratio this metal is very well valued. The low cost comes from the different and cheaper costs of production and handling. This is because it requires much less energy in its processing, much less production time and provides better finishes in the pieces. Energy saving during the production phase also has a lower environmental impact, which becomes another very important reason to prefer it to other metals known as silver.

It is also much more suitable for chrome plating, painting and galvanizing. The results in the pieces that are produced are exceptional, as you can see personally in our products, just by taking a look at our webpage El Coral

The Stones and the Zodiacal Signs

The Stones and the Zodiacal Signs

Today we decided to talk to you about the correspondences of the zodiacal signs with the stones.

In fact, there is a close relationship between stones and zodiacal signs.

Each zodiacal sign is influenced by one of the four elements that are Earth, Fire, Water and Air.

To the earth are associated: Virgo, Toro and Capricorn. Generally, very practical people who do not like changes.

Fire is associated with: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. People who are very sure of themselves and who put passion and desire into everything they do.

Water is associated with: Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio. People with great intuition and often at the mercy of emotions.

In the air are associated: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. People always on the move and with a strong mental openness.

Aries

(March 21st - April 20th)

The related stones with the sign of Aries are: Red Jasper, Avventurine, Cyanite, Ruby.

Bull

(April 21st - May 20th)

The related stones in the sign of Taurus are: Selenite, Jasper, Emerald, Kunzite.

Gemini

(21 May - 21 June)

The Gems slake the Gemini sign are: Blue Agate, Chrysocolla, Ulexite, Gray Agate.

Cancer

(June 22nd - July 22nd)

The stones related to the sign of Cancer are: Moonstone, Calcite, White Agate.

Lion

(23 July - 23 August)

The stones related to the sign of Leo are: Eye of Tiger, Amber, Pyrite, Opal.

Virgin

(24 August - 22 September)

The related stones with the sign of the Virgin are: Corneal, Rose Quartz, Augelite, Diamond.

Weight scale

(23 September - 22 October)

The similar stones to the sign of Libra are: Citroen, Heliotrope, Red Avventurina, Jade.

Scorpio

(23 October - 22 November)

The similar stones to the sign of Scorpio are: Malachite, Nakita, Rhodochrosite, Red Topaz.

Sagittarius

(23 November - 21 December)

The similar stones to the sign of Sagittarius are: Lapilli, Sodalite, Sapphire.

Capricorn

(22 December - 20 January)

The similar stones to the sign of Capricorn are: Obsidian, Quartz Fume ', Jasper, Gaiety.

Aquarium

(21 January - 19 February)

The related stones with the sign of the Aquarium are: Rock Crystal, Turquoise, Aquamarine.

Pisces

(20 February - 20 March)

The similar stones to the sign of Pisces are: Amethyst, Fluorite, Blue Topaz.

Red Coral: the Jewel of the Mediterranean

Red Coral: the Jewel of the Mediterranean

 Red Coral: the Jewel of the Mediterranean 

It has a growth of about 3-4 cm a year in height and of 0.25-0.60 mm a year in diameter. This makes it particularly vulnerable to the collecting action of man, who was once operated with destructive methods. Today, fortunately, it's not like that anymore. Now a selective fishing is carried out, where the underwater coral reef chooses only the largest branches and in the quantities established by law, at the same time allowing the protection of the species. In this regard, it seems right to mention the recent establishment of the protected natural marine area of Capo Caccia-Isola Piana, within which a specific area of absolute respect has been created to preserve the "Grotta del Corallo", a cave where interior ceilings and throughout the surrounding area there is still a good amount of coral and for which a unique project of restocking is underway with the creation of special supports to which coral fragments from grafting have been grafted of cutting supplied by corallars professional divers operating in the area.

Stones: Aquamarine

Stones: Aquamarine

Characteristics and properties

• in a pendant near the heart to overcome fears and increase love and altruism.
• simply holding it in your hand while you meditate
• in a pendant near the throat if you must speak in public
• on the sides of the face like earrings helps to communicate with oneself
• during the night under the pillow for a quieter sleep
• wear a pendant or bracelet if you're learning to swim

Peculiarities of Coral

Peculiarities of Coral

Today I am going to writing about other peculiarities of coral which I think they are very interesting, although if we want to explain all, we won’t end never due of the huge diversity that exists.

Coral term comprehends a species where there are a lot of variety. Such is the case that we can find corals with porous or solid skeleton, and there are also others which simply don’t have. They can be colonials too, like polyps that form the coral reefs, or solitaires. They can be sexual, asexual or both at same time, with internal or external fertilisation.
The most remarkable procreation method happens in reefs by external lay. Then is when coral expel roes by dissemination, all of them make it simultaneously and they are capable to dye water, creating a beautiful visual spectacle. They are an extremely sensitive animal and for carrying out the lay, corals are guided by changes in temperature, lunar cycle, day length and chemical signalling.

They are one of the most ancient animal in planet, there have been found fossils remains of coral which go back to the period when first animals appeared. Since then they grow in oceans, so much that sometimes reefs arrive at emerge on surface. In this way navigator James Cook discovered in 1770 the Great Barrier in the Coral Sea, in Oceania when he ran aground in it.

This is it for the moment, I hope you like being connoisseur of this information, the coral world can be infinite but don’t worry we won’t see all!

Of course, don’t forget to take a look to our website where you will find many examples of corals.
www.elcoral.es

Metal’s processing: The Filigree

Metal’s processing: The Filigree

Filigree is an artistic technique in which thin metal threads, that are usually made of gold or silver, are intertwined to create an elegant effect of perforated structure.

It isn’t possible to know exactly when this process was born. In some pyramids it has been found Egyptian jewels with a very similar perforated manufacturing. Its wide diffusion throughout the world, however, happened only since 8th century BC. Once in Italy, Sardinia was one of the regions which most used and improved this style, making in that way the well-known and famous “Sardinian Filigree”.
Its existence on the island during the Phoenician period is confirmed thanks to many discoveries in archaeological sites; although the filigree’s big expansion was happened during the Renaissance, when it was used fundamentally as an ornament for the nobility’s clothes. But later, at late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century, it was extended even between lower classes, to decorate traditional or festive clothes in particular.

Pins, hooks, charms and talismans were principally produced but also rings and, of course, the most renowned “Bottone Sardo” or Sardinian Button. It symbolises prosperity and fertility, in fact, its shape is inspired by female breast. It was usually used to close cuffs or corsets in man and woman’s clothes as well. The button’s size changed according to the social class of who was wearing it; in the case of bride’s dress, for example, it depended of the groom’s economic possibilities.

The filigree’s high value was given of course, not only depending on the skill of metalsmith who had made it, but also on utilised materials.
Spain has its own tradition about filigree too, the most well-known is the Cordoban.

Even when we hear the filigree term in philately, is because this took its name from metals’ work. Doubtlessly, we have heard the same word in paper money’s context, where filigree is one of main characteristics which can help to recognise the fake banknotes from the real ones.

We hope to have satisfy your curiosity once again with this little history about filigree and we wait you on next blogs...

Of course, don’t forget to take a look to our website where you will find many examples of Sardinian Filigree.

www.elcoral.es